Tag Archives: olive oil

Black Bean Hummus

When I was at the grocery store the other day, I saw some Black Bean Hummus. I hadn’t noticed that flavor before and it sounded great ! Instead of buying some, I decided to make my own.

You use black beans instead of garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) in this hummus, but it still has many of the same ingredients you would use in your typical hummus recipe…like olive oil, garlic, and tahini. It also has a little cayenne pepper in it, which adds some spiciness–but if you prefer a milder flavor, leave it out.

This is a smooth and creamy hummus, and I love the flavor combination of the black beans with all the other spices. If you like hummus and black beans, keep this recipe in mind!

BLACK BEAN HUMMUS by NancyCreative

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons tahini (roasted sesame seed paste)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Optional garnishes: 10 to 12 Kalamata olives, 1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Place all ingredients, except for the garnish ingredients (olives and cilantro), in a food processor or high-power blender; process until smooth and creamy. Spoon into a bowl and garnish with olives and fresh cilantro. Serve with pita bread, fresh veggies, or tortilla chips.

I’m enjoying trying out and creating different hummus recipes! I’ve also made these other hummus recipes: basic Hummus, Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus, and Pumpkin Hummus. Do you have a favorite hummus flavor?

Linked to Inspire Me Monday.

Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower

14 Replies

I really didn’t know what to expect when I was making this Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower. I had never tried roasting cauliflower before, so this was something new for me. I’m not a particularly big fan of cauliflower either, but I do love roasted veggies–so I thought it would be worth a try!

When I had my first taste of this, I thought, “Wow, this is good!” I really did. It surpassed my expectations. Who would have thought cauliflower could have tasted so good? The cauliflower is roasted, along with some sliced red onion, in a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice. Sour cream and shredded Cheddar cheese, added after the roasting, give this side dish a rich, creamy flavor. And the crumbled bacon on top is a nice touch, although this is great without the bacon, too, if you want to keep it meatless.

I’m sure this is something everyone in your family will love. It’s definitely worth making!

CHEESY ROASTED CAULIFLOWER by NancyCreative, adapted from Kraft Foods

Makes 4 to 6 servings

8 cups cauliflower florets

1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Juice from 1 large lemon (about 1/4 cup)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup regular or lite sour cream

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 ounces) , regular or low-fat

Optional: 1 slice of cooked and crumbled bacon or 1 Tablespoon real bacon bits

Preheat oven to 450˚F.

In large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients; spread onto foil-covered rimmed 10 x 15″ baking sheet. Bake at 450˚ for 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes for even baking (you may get a few burnt edges on your sliced onions and cauliflower, but that’s okay!).

After cauliflower is roasted, spoon back into large bowl and stir in the sour cream. Then mix in the shredded Cheddar cheese. Spoon mixture into an oven-safe baking dish and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is all melted. Top with crumbled bacon or bacon bits, if using, and serve.

This is a great dinner side dish. And something to keep in mind for special holiday meals. It’s not the healthiest way to prepare cauliflower, but it sure is good! Do you have a favorite cauliflower side dish?

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus

17 Replies

I’ve mentioned before how much I love hummus, and this time I tried making Sundried Tomato Hummus! I just love sundried tomatoes and I had found a recipe at AllRecipes that sounded good. It’s made with oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. I halved most of the recipe, because I didn’t need to make 4 cups of hummus, and used more sun-dried tomatoes in it for a stronger, more tomato-y taste. I also needed to use more lemon juice and olive oil in this hummus because the original recipe was really thick. It’s a little thicker and chunkier than other hummus recipes I’ve made because of the sun-dried tomatoes in it, but it is so good-and I love the fresh basil in it, too!

SUN-DRIED TOMATO HUMMUS by NancyCreative, adapted from AllRecipes

Makes about 2 cups

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup tahini paste

1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 (15.5-ounce) can garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), drained

1/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained (I used the Julienne Cut, for easier blending)

1/3 cup finely shredded fresh basil

Optional garnish: 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Place garlic, salt, tahini, and lemon juice in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the garbanzo beans and olive oil, blending again until smooth, scraping the sides of the processor occasionally. If mixture is too thick, add a little more olive oil, lemon juice, or water. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and pulse until they’ve been chopped into very small pieces and incorporated evenly into the hummus. Add the basil and pulse a few times until it is mixed in.

Spread hummus into a shallow serving dish and serve.

If desired, you can make a few decorative grooves on top, refrigerate for 1 hour, then drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with paprika before serving. Serve with veggies, crackers, or pita bread.

I think I could eat hummus every day without getting tired of it! So I’m really glad it’s healthy! Are you a big hummus fan too?

Easy Pantry Minestrone from Weight Watchers What To Cook Now-and a Giveaway!

31 Replies

Like so many people I know, I’m trying to eat a little healthier during this new year. So when I heard about the new cookbook, Weight Watchers What To Cook Now, I was definitely interested in reviewing it! Not only did I receive a review copy, the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, is also providing a giveaway copy! I’ll tell you a little about the book and share a recipe from it with you, and then be sure to enter the giveaway by leaving a comment–see the end of this post for details on how to win!

This cookbook has more than 300 new recipes and lots of color photos. There’s a wonderful variety of great-sounding recipes to choose from–meals and desserts that your whole family can enjoy. And they look easy to prepare, too. All recipes include nutritional information and the Weight Watcher PointsPlus® values so those of you in Weight Watchers can easily keep track of your points. Even if you’re not in Weight Watches, though, I’m sure these recipes would appeal to any of you who are wanting to eat lighter and healthier.

The book starts out with tips and helpful information on good nutrition, the well-stocked pantry, must-have kitchen tools, food safety, and choosing and preparing fresh fruits and veggies. Then you’ll find recipes organized in the following chapters: Breakfasts and Brunches; Lunches; Appetizers and Snacks; Main Dishes–Beef, Pork, and Lamb; Main Dishes–Poultry; Main Dishes–Seafood; Main Dishes-Vegetarian; 20-Minute Main Dishes; Side Dishes; and Sweets. So there’s lots to choose from! Here are some recipes I’d like to try…

Coconut-Almond French Toast with Tropical Fruit
Asian Burgers with Honey-Lime Slaw
Spinach and Endive Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
Italian Beef and Mushroom Meat Loaf
Brown Sugar-Dijon Glazed Ham with Sweet Potatoes
Maple-Glazed Grilled Chicken
Pan-seared Tuna with Citrus-Avocado Salsa
Warm Mozzarella and Tomato Flatbreads
Gingery Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry
Garlicky Spinach and Fontina Pizza
Chocolate Brownie Ice-Cream Sandwiches

For this post, I decided to try the Easy Pantry Minestrone from the Vegetarian section, since I had been wanting to make minestrone this winter. It’s a good, healthy soup with lots of veggies (carrots, onion, celery, zucchini), red beans, and chickpeas. Dried basil also flavors the soup, and you serve it with a teaspoon-size dollop of pre-made refrigerated pesto which also adds nicely to the flavor!

EASY PANTRY MINESTRONE from Weight Watchers What To Cook Now

Makes 6 servings

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

7 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth

1 (15.5-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup whole wheat macaroni or other small pasta (uncooked)

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 small zucchini, chopped

2 Tablespoons refrigerated basil pesto

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrots, celery, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add broth, kidney beans, chickpeas, macaroni, and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and zucchini and simmer until pasta and vegetables are very tender, 10 minutes longer. Ladle into bowls and top each with 1 teaspoon pesto.

PER SERVING (1 bowl): 307 Cal, 6 g Total Fat, Og Trans Fat, 1 mg Chol, 876 mg Sod, 53 g Carb, 10 g Fib, 14 g Prot, 120 mg Calc.

PointsPlus value: 8

I really like the dollop of pesto–it gives the soup an extra little zing of flavor when you stir it in!

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Congratulations to commentor #8, Aline, for winning the book!

Now for the Giveaway…if you’d like to enter to win a copy of Weight Watchers What To Cook Now, leave a comment on this blog post between now and Wednesday, January 22, at 10 p.m. (CST)–the random drawing will be made from the comments on this post only! The winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org and announced on Thursday evening, January 23. Winner will be notified via email (if winner does not respond in 3 days, I’ll do another drawing). Giveaway limited to readers in the Continental U.S. and Canada.

First entry: Leave a comment on this post–it would be great to hear what your favorite healthy dish is!

Bonus entry: If you are a new or existing follower or subscriber, you can leave one extra comment telling me the way (or ways) you are following.

Note: If your comment doesn’t show up right away, it just means I need to click on it to approve it before it’s visible–I do this because of spam comments that sometimes come through!

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

6 Replies

If you like vinaigrette on your salads, and if you like honey-mustard flavor, then you’ll have to try this vinaigrette! It’s very quick and easy to make, and really good! This Honey Mustard Vinaigrette recipe has a great lightly-sweet and tangy taste and makes about 1 cup of vinaigrette, so if you need more you’ll want to double the recipe. I used a slightly sweet, grainy mustard in my vinaigrette, and I really like the way it turned out!

Continue reading →